What Is a 3 Bet in Poker?

what is a 3 bet in poker

A 3-bet is an aggressive poker action that players use to increase their win rate. It can be used to extract value from premium hands and can also force other players to fold. It can also isolate weak players and help build the pot, increasing a player’s payouts.

What Are the Best Hands to 3-Bet?

The best hand to 3-bet depends on a number of factors, including table dynamics and the image of your opponent. Some players will only 3-bet strong hands, such as pocket kings or pocket aces, but this isn’t the best strategy for winning. It’s better to combine these strong hands with a merged 3-betting range, which includes the next best hands. This is also known as a linear range.

What Is a Good Size of a 3-Bet?

A good 3-bet size should be twice the amount of the original raise, but it can be larger or smaller depending on whether you are betting in position or out of position. A min 3-bet is a bad idea, because it doesn’t build the pot as much and it gives the original raiser great odds to call with a wide range of hands. It is also difficult to get the other players to cold-call your 3-bet because it is usually much larger than their initial flop raise.

What Does My Opponent’s Range Look Like When He Calls a 3-Bet?

A value 3-bet is a very common strategy in poker. The key to a successful value 3-bet is to be able to build the pot before you have the chance to see the flop. This can be done by deciding which hands have enough equity against your opponent’s non-folding range.

You should only 3-bet for value with hands that have at least 40 percent equity against your opponent’s non-folding hand. This means that you should never 3-bet QQ, AK, or JJ if your opponent is folding everything but JJ+.

How to Choose Your Value 3-Bet Range

Once you have your value 3-bet range figured out, you should decide which hands are best for calling. This is important because it allows you to maximize your profit post-flop.

In addition to the above tips, there are several other important aspects of a value 3-bet that can make it a profitable play. The most important of these is the sizing of your 3 bet.

One mistake that inexperienced players often make is to 3-bet too large, especially on the flop. Generally, a flop 3 bet is somewhere between 2 and 2.5 times the size of the original flop bet.

Another mistake that inexperienced players often make is calling a 3-bet when they are not the original raiser. This is a very risky play, because it is very hard to get the other players to call your 3-bet without a flop.

There are many other things to consider when determining the best way to 3-bet in poker, such as a 3-bet percentage and how to size your 3-bets. A high 3-bet percentage indicates that a player is a very aggressive player, while a low 3-bet percentage may indicate that they are still learning the game.